Meet Our Office Staff & Team Of Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapists in Wasilla, AK

Rusty Burlingame PT, MS, graduated with a master’s in physical therapy from Boston University in 1999. He moved to Alaska directly after school and has worked since that time in outpatient orthopedics. Rusty has training in advanced manual therapy techniques through the Ola Grimsby Institute. He uses a variety of manual skills to take his patients out of pain and back to function. He spends his time off hunting and fishing all over the great state of Alaska.

Jacob Arvidson PT, DPT, was born and raised in Eagle River, Alaska. He graduated with his doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences in Florida in 2005 and joined Alyeska Physical Therapy in 2006. The Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at the University of Saint Augustine has an excellent reputation for their emphasis on manual therapy. In his free time Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife and children as well as fishing, hunting, camping, and woodworking.

Alexis Burton PT, DPT graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2022 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She has enjoyed being a traveling Physical Therapist since graduating, working in a variety of settings and locations. Alexis is DMI Introductory Level A certified. She has a great passion for working in Pediatrics and fostering opportunities for children to thrive in their environment.  She spends her free time hiking, cross country skiing and traveling!

Stacy, MS, OT graduated with her master’s degree in occupational therapy in 2012. Since then she has worked in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, homecare, early intervention and outpatient clinics with both adults and children. Stacy primarily enjoys using her strong neurodevelopmental background to assist children with their sensory processing and help them better interact with their world. She also takes great joy in educating people of all ages about tools to improve their independence. From the very low tech, such as specialty spoons, to the very high tech, like smart-homes. Stacy loves helping clients make life-changing improvements to their functional independence.

Stacy is an experienced traveler and loves exploring the different regions of the United States and learning about local history. You might also catch her on stage with one of the valley theater companies, as Stacy is an amateur vocalist having previously performed with groups all across the United States and Bahamas, including one performance in Disney World for their Magic Music Days.

 I began working in Occupational therapy in 2001. I moved to Alaska in 2007 to work at Providence Transitional Care. In 2011 I was hired at an outpatient clinic here in the Valley where I worked exclusively with the 0-18 population focusing on child developmental disorders including Autism, and Sensory Processing Disorder. I completed certification in the following areas NDT Treatment of the baby 2013, Certified infant massage educator 2015, Blomberg Rhythmic movement training 2016, Evidence based Aquatic therapy for the pediatrics and Aquatic Sensory motor integration for Pediatrics 2017. After a brief return to the adult rehab I am excited to be working with Alyeska’s Pediatric families and team. When I’m not working I enjoy getting outdoors for almost any activity. Hiking, kayaking, berry picking, fishing, hunting, cross country skiing or just walking with my dogs in the woods.

Kim Prayner, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A/SLP, has over 20 years of experience in the communication disorders field. Kim is a licensed and certified Audiologist after initially receiving her Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of North Carolina in 1994; she received her Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014. Kim earned her Doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2003. She is passionate about working with pediatric patients and finding ways to maximize their communication skills. Kim has worked in the hospital, private practice, school, acute care, and hearing aid manufacturing settings. She has a vast array of experience working with children who have apraxia, autism, cleft palate, cognitive disabilities, dysfluency/stuttering, hearing loss, non-verbal language, social skills deficits, and speech/language deficits. Kim is a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)’s Special Interest Group 1: Language, Learning, and Education and a member of ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kim lived in Fairbanks for over 10 years before moving to Wasilla. She spends her free time with her family, kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors.

Amanda Carver, MS, CCC-SLP, is a lifelong Alaskan who graduated with her master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 2021. Since then, she has had experience working in educational, medical, and private settings, and her passion is working with individuals with complex communication needs who benefit from alternative communication devices. She also has specialized experience and an interest in working with children with dyslexia and learning disabilities, and adults with neurological difficulties. Amanda enjoys serving clients across the lifespan. In her free time, Amanda can be found training for her next marathon, skiing, hiking, and spending time with her dogs.

Jessica has been with Alyeska Therapy Center since 2017. She is passionate about her position as office manager because it allows her the ability to support her clinic family and her community at the same time.  She particularly enjoys watching the clinic’s patients make meaningful improvements through therapy and intentional interactions. In her spare time Jessica loves being active with friends and family hiking, kayaking, camping and traveling.